It’s been months since Jamie Minnick and his team from Mattituck-based laid the foundation and electrical work for aon a field north of tasting room off of Route 25 in Peconic.
Owners of the vineyard announced the plans for the windmill in November of 2009, and since this, the alt-energy company’s crew members have been waiting on newly designed parts from the manufacture and other logistics to fall in place before final assembly could happen. And with everything finally ready on Tuesday, not even thecould stop the raising of the monolithic modern tower.
“We were done by about 11 p.m. Tuesday, and the snow was coming,” Minnick said. “Right now we’re testing and troubleshooting to make sure it works.”
The $144,000 wind turbine is projected to save Osprey’s Dominion about $8,000 in annual energy costs. A Long Island Power Authority Rebate and a federal tax incentive are also set to help financially. Minnick added that the huge blades of the towering turbine are actually very quiet when spinning.
“These bigger towers make less noise than the smaller ones,” he said.
Osprey's Dominion now joins the ranks of wind-powered vineyards like in Mattituck and in Cutchogue.
